Carol Jean Mollenkamp

Carol was born on April 7,1937 in Columbia, Missouri. She was the daughter of Anton James “Stan” Stankowski of St Joseph, Missouri and Gladys Augusta (Anderson) Stankowski of Denver, Colorado. Along with her older brother Jim, Carol grew up in Columbia where their father, a Missouri Hall of Fame quarterback, coached and led intramurals at the University of Missouri. Carol’s home was full of famous Missouri coaches and athletes and their families through the years. Carol’s mother Gladys was also an instructor and employee of the University as well as an avid athlete.

Carol loved her childhood in Columbia and would often return to see her parents and many friends who still lived there. She attended Jefferson Junior High School and Hickman High School where she had many interests including student government, theater, and music.

After graduating from Hickman, Carol attended Stephens College and Drake University. In the summer of 1956, while she was working in the registrar’s office at Missouri, a young student named Tom Mollenkamp sat down to talk to her. They began dating and eventually married in 1957.

Carol and Tom would soon move to Akron, Ohio where their first two children were born. They later lived in Kansas City, Illinois, St Louis, New Jersey, and Weston, Massachusetts while the family continued to grow to six children. Carol had her hands full raising six children, but she still found time to volunteer at the local schools and participate in the Boston-Weston METCO school program. Along the way, she taught her children to love reading, movies, music, nature, travel, cooking and gardening.

In 1979, Carol,Tom and their three younger children moved to Apple Valley, CA. After many years of cold winters, Carol was excited to live and garden in the California sunshine. Tom and Carol enjoyed exploring California and the Southwest–visiting museums, national parks, beaches, and theaters.

After raising her children, Carol returned to college and received a degree in English from Victor Valley College. She became a writer afterwards publishing articles in the Wall Street Journal and various magazines. Carol absolutely loved small children and became a professional nanny as well as helping with her own grandchildren.

Carol is survived by her brother Jim Stankowski of Tampa, Florida, her brother-in-law Bob Mollenkamp and his wife Pat of Columbia, and her sister-in-law Jane (Jim) Mollenkamp of Kansas City.

Carol will be greatly missed by her six children: Mike of New York City, Dave (Dani) of Piscataway, NJ, Jean Kjellstrand (Torsten) of Eugene, OR, Steve (Harumi) of Las Vegas, Amy Comito of Apple Valley, and Chris (Kim) of Richburg, SC.

Carol was particularly proud of her eleven grandchildren Alicia, Marla (Chris), Nils (Aleah), Björn, Maria, Takahiro, Shoh, Daniel, David, James, and Kimberly; her great-grandson George; her six nieces and nephews; and her many great nieces and nephews.

Donations may be made in Carol’s memory to the Thomas and Carol Mollenkamp scholarship at University of Missouri mizzou.us/MollenkampScholarship